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Check out this video at 05:47 when the screens of the OLED iPhones dim, they all including the 12’s have the black bands and pulsing appearance so that would suggest PWM is still a thing on the new models shamefully.
 

Check out this video at 05:47 when the screens of the OLED iPhones dim, they all including the 12’s have the black bands and pulsing appearance so that would suggest PWM is still a thing on the new models shamefully.

I suppose we can hope that they have made changes so that the flicker only happens below 50% instead of the way the XS and 11 were, with flicker below 99%?
 
To me it looks like 12 pro on the left side would not flicker as much. Could be that it is on the edge of the screen.
What do you think? Could it be a different panel or am I just seeing what I am hoping to see.
 
To me it looks like 12 pro on the left side would not flicker as much. Could be that it is on the edge of the screen.
What do you think? Could it be a different panel or am I just seeing what I am hoping to see.
I thought the PWM only kicked in below 50% on all iPhones. As far as i was aware 50-100% it used DC dimming then 50% and below thats when the PWM kicked in.

A rumour a while back suggested that the iPhone 13 would use the same LTPO OLED that the Series 5/6 Apple Watch uses as it will have an always on component, if thats the case then PWM shouldn’t be an issue as Notebook check tested the Series 5 for PWM and found it didn’t have any. Let’s hope this is the case.
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I thought the PWM only kicked in below 50% on all iPhones. As far as i was aware 50-100% it used DC dimming then 50% and below thats when the PWM kicked in.

A rumour a while back suggested that the iPhone 13 would use the same LTPO OLED that the Series 5/6 Apple Watch uses as it will have an always on component, if thats the case then PWM shouldn’t be an issue as Notebook check tested the Series 5 for PWM and found it didn’t have any. Let’s hope this is the case.
Oops I replied to the wrong person, sorry.
 
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I thought the PWM only kicked in below 50% on all iPhones. As far as i was aware 50-100% it used DC dimming then 50% and below thats when the PWM kicked in.

A rumour a while back suggested that the iPhone 13 would use the same LTPO OLED that the Series 5/6 Apple Watch uses as it will have an always on component, if thats the case then PWM shouldn’t be an issue as Notebook check tested the Series 5 for PWM and found it didn’t have any. Let’s hope this is the case.
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Oops I replied to the wrong person, sorry.

No, unfortunately PWM on the X, XS, and 11Pro is on any brightness <99%. That is according to NoteBookCheck, and indeed it is pretty clearly flickering when doing slow-mo video of it at anything below 100%, too.

Hoping it is different on the 12!
 
Well, I've got some information that will help - but I can't give you frequencies as I won't have a device until Nov. 4.

Per Chinese media:

Apple iPhone 12 uses Samsung OLED screen, and the brightness above 25% automatically switches to DC dimming:

The new cool products are free to try for the first time, and there are many high-quality experts to share their unique life experiences. Come to Sina Public Test and experience the most cutting-edge, most interesting and most fun products in various fields~! Download the client and get exclusive benefits!

IT House News on October 23 The Apple iPhone 12 series is now on sale. The first batches include iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. According to the tester @nforce4, the iPhone 12 uses Samsung’s screen, and the dimming strategy continues the classic Samsung OLED method: PWM dimming will be used for brightness below 25%, and DC dimming will be used for brightness above 25%.
▲ The difference between high and low brightness shooting

▲ The difference between high and low brightness shooting

After Apple released the iPhone 12 series, South Korean media TheElec reported that Samsung Display and LG Display are the screen suppliers for the iPhone 12. The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 screen will be supplied by LG Display, while the remaining three products will be supplied by Samsung Display. goods. As for the specific quantity, LG Display is expected to supply 20 million screens, while Samsung Display is expected to supply 60 million, and the extra 10 million screens are reserved for backup.

IT Home has also got the iPhone 12, and will bring you more detailed tests in the future.

As we all know, the main difference between PWM dimming and DC dimming lies in the way the brightness is implemented. On the PWM dimming screen, adjusting the brightness does not depend on changing the power, but on the alternating frequency of the screen on and off.

When the screen is on and off, the longer the off-screen state lasts, the lower the brightness of the screen to the naked eye. The longer the light-on time is, the longer the screen-off time will decrease, and the screen will become brighter. And DC dimming is simply to increase or decrease the power of the circuit to change the brightness of the screen.

The strobe of the mobile phone can cause damage to some people who are more sensitive to the light source under low brightness conditions. The phenomenon is eye fatigue or soreness. On some OLED screen phones. Since the low-brightness part cannot be realized by DC dimming, and only supports the PMW mode, users should avoid using the mobile phone under low-brightness conditions as much as possible
 
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A rumour a while back suggested that the iPhone 13 would use the same LTPO OLED that the Series 5/6 Apple Watch uses as it will have an always on component, if thats the case then PWM shouldn’t be an issue as Notebook check tested the Series 5 for PWM and found it didn’t have any. Let’s hope this is the case.

It does however still flicker at 60 Hz. I don't know why Notebookcheck says it shouldn't case headaches or eyestrain when it obviously flickers and at a low frequency too. Maybe the flicker percent is low, but they never seem to mention that number. If the flicker percent is under 8-12% with that smooth curve that should be fine at 60 Hz. That's about the amount of flicker coming from an incandescent light bulb.

But if Apple can get rid of that too it would be great. I'm just not holding my breath as color accuracy at low brightness suffers when drive voltage drops, which is one of the reasons for using PWM in the first place. Hopefully Apple or someone else is hard at work on improving backplane technology for these types of displays, or else anyone sensitive will be screwed for years to come. That and MicroLED and the two biggest drawbacks of OLED will be solved. Flicker, and permanent image retention.


Screen Shot 2020-10-24 at 10.54.24.png
 
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It does however still flicker at 60 Hz. I don't know why Notebookcheck says it shouldn't case headaches or eyestrain when it obviously flickers and at a low frequency too. Maybe the flicker percent is low, but they never seem to mention that number. If the flicker percent is under 8-12% with that smooth curve that should be fine at 60 Hz. That's about the amount of flicker coming from an incandescent light bulb.

But if Apple can get rid of that too it would be great. I'm just not holding my breath as color accuracy at low brightness suffers when drive voltage drops, which is one of the reasons for using PWM in the first place. Hopefully Apple or someone else is hard at work on improving backplane technology for these types of displays, or else anyone sensitive will be screwed for years to come. That and MicroLED and the two biggest drawbacks of OLED will be solved. Flicker, and permanent image retention.


View attachment 972876

I guess a slight flicker is better than a full strobing on and off even if it is at a much lower frequency.

For most people PWM isn’t an issue if the frequency is high enough it’s just when it is down around the 200-300Hz area which most smartphone OLED panels use it becomes an issue. So if they can’t eliminate PWM maybe they can find a way to increase the frequency because at least that will be a fix for most people.

Hopefully MicroLED will become a thing soon, but progress appears to be very slow so I doubt it.

Having used an OLED on the iPhone X I agree it’s a beautiful screen and I can see why the YouTube reviewers go mad about them, however after suffering the side effects of the screen the LCD on the 11 is far better for me personally.
 
Well, I've got some information that will help - but I can't give you frequencies as I won't have a device until Nov. 4.

Per Chinese media:

Apple iPhone 12 uses Samsung OLED screen, and the brightness above 25% automatically switches to DC dimming:

The new cool products are free to try for the first time, and there are many high-quality experts to share their unique life experiences. Come to Sina Public Test and experience the most cutting-edge, most interesting and most fun products in various fields~! Download the client and get exclusive benefits!

IT House News on October 23 The Apple iPhone 12 series is now on sale. The first batches include iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. According to the tester @nforce4, the iPhone 12 uses Samsung’s screen, and the dimming strategy continues the classic Samsung OLED method: PWM dimming will be used for brightness below 25%, and DC dimming will be used for brightness above 25%.
▲ The difference between high and low brightness shooting

▲ The difference between high and low brightness shooting

After Apple released the iPhone 12 series, South Korean media TheElec reported that Samsung Display and LG Display are the screen suppliers for the iPhone 12. The 6.1-inch iPhone 12 screen will be supplied by LG Display, while the remaining three products will be supplied by Samsung Display. goods. As for the specific quantity, LG Display is expected to supply 20 million screens, while Samsung Display is expected to supply 60 million, and the extra 10 million screens are reserved for backup.

IT Home has also got the iPhone 12, and will bring you more detailed tests in the future.

As we all know, the main difference between PWM dimming and DC dimming lies in the way the brightness is implemented. On the PWM dimming screen, adjusting the brightness does not depend on changing the power, but on the alternating frequency of the screen on and off.

When the screen is on and off, the longer the off-screen state lasts, the lower the brightness of the screen to the naked eye. The longer the light-on time is, the longer the screen-off time will decrease, and the screen will become brighter. And DC dimming is simply to increase or decrease the power of the circuit to change the brightness of the screen.

The strobe of the mobile phone can cause damage to some people who are more sensitive to the light source under low brightness conditions. The phenomenon is eye fatigue or soreness. On some OLED screen phones. Since the low-brightness part cannot be realized by DC dimming, and only supports the PMW mode, users should avoid using the mobile phone under low-brightness conditions as much as possible

Wow, this would be huge if true, that any brightness above 25% is dc dimming instead of pwm!! Looking forward to further confirmation on this.
 
When the 12 was introduced, the VP of iPhone product marketing said that they were bringing their Super Retina screens from the 11 pro to the 12.

I took that to literally mean that the 12 uses exactly the same screen components as the 11 pro.

And those definitely have PWM.

Roll on next year if the rumours are true about the OLED in the watch is being used for iPhone.
 
When the 12 was introduced, the VP of iPhone product marketing said that they were bringing their Super Retina screens from the 11 pro to the 12.

I took that to literally mean that the 12 uses exactly the same screen components as the 11 pro.

And those definitely have PWM.

Roll on next year if the rumours are true about the OLED in the watch is being used for iPhone.

That's fine, yet I've seen a half dozen articles over the past few months that LG is supplying 20 Million panels and Samsung is supply 60 Million panels. That is different that than the 11 situation right there. So, things can change, the article I referenced is current; search Macrumors for yourself to verify the LG panel situation. You're also glossing the issue greatly,the 11 pro and the 11 pro max had vastly different screens - and if 290hz is the 6.1 panel - while not ideal, could be worse. The Samsung panel on the max will undoubtedly be 245hz because Samsung doesn't give a **** and they don't mind saying it.

My entire point being a zero day article, referencing very specific information, is valid. You may want to hold out for more concrete data - which I think we're all looking for - or you can say the information provided does not go far enough to answer questions you may have - but to say we're grasping at straws here is wildly inaccurate. We're assembling information, from anecdotal user posts, to published tech journalists, to concrete analytic testing when available. Discounting the article because it's Chinese is, well, unreasonable.

You're undoubtedly right though, until we have hard data, we have an incomplete picture open to interpretation.
 
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That's fine, yet I've seen a half dozen articles over the past few months that LG is supplying 20 Million panels and Samsung is supply 60 Million panels. That is different that than the 11 situation right there. So, things can change, the article I referenced is current; search Macrumors for yourself to verify the LG panel situation. You're also glossing the issue greatly,the 11 pro and the 11 pro max had vastly different screens - and if 290hz is the 6.1 panel - while not ideal, could be worse. The Samsung panel on the max will undoubtedly be 245hz because Samsung doesn't give a **** and they don't mind saying it.

My entire point being a zero day article, referencing very specific information, is valid. You may want to hold out for more concrete data - which I think we're all looking for - or you can say the information provided does not go far enough to answer questions you may have - but to say we're grasping at straws here is wildly inaccurate. We're assembling information, from anecdotal puser posts, to published tech journalists, to concrete analytic testing when available. Discounting the article because it's Chinese is, well, unreasonable.

You're undoubtedly right though, until we have hard data, we have an incomplete picture open to interpretation.
Fair enough. For myself when I finally see one of the 12s in person and my eyes start hurting in less than a minute of using them, I’ll know it’s the same screen type as before. I’m hoping though that I’m pleasantly surprised (but I’m not expecting to be).
 
They refuse to admit that their OLED screens are a health hazard (for some people) and continue selling them. At least there's the 2020 SE and refurbished 8 Plus models still available.

Cutting edge, best in class, luxury brand- HA! And we're stuck with a 10 year old regurgitated design or a discontinued model.
The 11 and XR are still LCD, no need to get an 8 Plus model.
 
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